Ignition systems for internal combustion engines



July 16, 1957 c. R. FLINT 2,799,792

IGNITION SYSTEMS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 14, 1956 \Q talllllllllllai w IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent IGNITEQN SYSTEMS Ffllt ENTERNAL CMEUTEUN ENGHNE Charles R. Flint, La Porte, ind.

Application June 14, 1956, Serial No. 591,416

2 Claims. (Cl. 313-449 This invention relates to ignition systems for internal combustion engines. The broad object of the invention is to provide an improved ignition system to insure more eflicient combustion, improve spark life, and improve engine performance: smoother idling, faster acceleration, higher top speed, less carbon deposits, less fuel ejected unburned with the exhaust, less contribution to the formation of smog in the vicinity.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide an improved ignition system for a multicylinder engine which, in addition to passing the usual igniting electrical spark to the spark plug of the cylinder whose charge is ready for ignition, will pass a non-igniting electrical disturbance to the spark plugs of other cylinders, to ionize or otherwise precondition the charges therein, to make them ready for combustion when the igniting sparks oc cur.

Lightning rods do not protect the house by carrying the bolt of lightning from the air to the ground; they bleed off static electricity from the air to the ground and thus prevent the buildup of dangerous amounts of static in the vicinity of the house which might terminate in a violent discharge of lightning. Another object of the invention is to bleed off the leakage from the high-tension circuit of the ignition system and to bleed off the static electricity always being formed in the vicinity, discharging it to the spark plugs other than the one which is firing the contents of a cylinder, thus preventing any buildup in the system to the point where an igniting spark might occur in the wrong cylinder or at the wrong time-thus preventing cross-firing.

Another object is to provide a distributor rotor constructed and arranged to deliver the igniting spark to one cylinder and at the same time to bombard the contents of other cylinders with non'igniting electrical discharges to promote turbulence in the vicinity of their spark plugs to precondition their charges and thus to produce more efficient combustion and improved engine performance. Another object is to provide an improved rotor so constructed and arranged that the relative igniting and nonigniting discharges may be pre-adjusted to suit any engine. Another object is to accomplish the foregoing with no substantial increase in cost.

These and other objects of the invention will be readily understood by reference to the following specification ree in connection with the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the underside of a distributor rotor; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the distributor rotor MP is constructed with the usual body having hole 11 which fits the distributor shaft. Brush 12 carries high-tension current from contact 13 with the central brush in the dis tributor cover to the several spark plugs of the engine in the usual manner. Disc 14 is carried by or integral with the rotor body in the plane of brush 12. Copper strips 16 inlaid in disc 14 extend from the vicinity of brush 12. to the proximity of copper ring 17 also inlaid in disc 34. Spaced from ring 17, segments 18, one less in number than the number of cylinders in the engine, are provided with sharp points 19. A number of saw cuts 20 provide additional air gaps; the number of saw cuts 26 can be chosen to preadjust the rate of bleedotf of electrical discharges from brush 12 to ring 17 and segments 13.

In operation, as brush 12 transmits the igniting electrical discharge to the sparkplug in one of the engine cylinders, the static or other induced charges in the vicinity of the high-tension circuit are bled off across the air gaps 1:7 and 2th to copper strips 1.6, 17 and 13; non-igniting electrical discharges are distributed to all the other sparkplugs of the engine. The width of air gap 15 and the number of air gaps 2% are chosen to prevent an igniting discharge from passing while permitting the optimum non-igniting discharge to pass to the other sparkplugs.

Having thus described the invention, it is clear that the objects as stated have been attained in a practical manner. While a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the operation of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims:

I claim:

1. In an ignition system for a rnulticylinder internal combustion engine having a distributor provided with points leading to the several cylinders, a rotor constructed of nonconducting material, an electrically conductive brush on said rotor constructed to carry a high-tension current to one of said points, conductive leads from the vicinity of said brush constructed to carry non-igniting electrical discharges to the others of said points, air gaps controlling the intensity of said non-igniting discharges, and means for predetermining said intensity, said means comprising the width and number of said air gaps.

2. In an ignition system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine having a distributor provided with points leading to the several cylinders, a rotor constructed of nonconducting material, an electrically conductive brush on said rotor constructed to carry a high-tension current to one of said points, conductive leads from the vicinity of said brush constructed to carry non-igniting electrical discharges to the others of said points, and air gaps controlling the intensity of said non-igniting discharges.

No references cited. 

